Hector (Earth Defense Force)
thumb|400px|Storm 1 encounters a pair of Hectors in 2017 AD. Hectors (also called Walking Arms) are giant robots used by the Ravagers in Earth Defense Force 2017, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon and Earth Defense Force 2025. They are strong enemies, particularly on higher difficulties, and are armed with a variety of weapons. Earth Defense Force 2017 In Earth Defense Force 2017, the Hectors are large metallic machines armed with different weapons. They came in two varieties, the large Hector which was the first encountered by the EDF and the later smaller Hectors which seemed to have been designed to be deployed from UFO's. They were armed with two weapons of any combination: plasma cannons, plasma repeaters, or plasma chainguns. Attacks The Hectors are one of the difficult enemies in 2017. They are very large, and they use a heavy machine gun that penetrates armor easily or a more precise plasma weapon. They later use a strong plasma artillery cannon. They are also known for their incredible flinching. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon In Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, the Hectors return with a very different appearance. They still come in two varieties, large and small, but the small ones are more comparable to the big ones from the last game. The bigger one is called the Hector Mk 2 and has a variety of weapons. The Insect Armageddon Hectors are also considerably stronger. MkI Attacks In Insect Armageddon the Hector plays the same role as before, but every small Hector uses the same attacks: a rapid fire energy gun, a spread rocket launcher, a heavy energy cannon/mortar, and stomping on the player. The Hector's main armor is very strong and immune to small arms fire (i.e. assault rifles, shotguns, Mech/Turret chainguns, etc.) except for the red glowing parts on the chest, but explosive weapons like rockets, missiles, and vehicle cannons can damage Hectors no matter where they hit. Auto-lock and manual-lock weapons will track several valid 'sub targets' on the Hector, ensuring they can deal full damage to it. The Hector explodes on death; this explosion is not particularly large or dangerous, but care should be taken to avoid it as it will still knock soldiers down on top of dealing damage. When Hectors are badly damaged, they will stop to make a sort of roar or howl of rage, and may attack more aggressively afterwards. MkII Attacks In Chapter Two of Insect Armageddon, a much larger and stronger version called the Hector MkII appears. This version uses a stronger version of the energy gun that fires a thick hail of shots, a rapid-fire version of the spread rocket-launcher, and an incredibly powerful blue beam cannon. It can also launch explosive energy projectiles like the Hector, usually three in fairly rapid succession. On occasion, the Mark II may stop to attack buildings with its energy mortars or beam cannon instead of attacking EDF troops, sometimes going as far to ignore multiple troops firing upon it to knock down a small and irrelevant structure. So far, no reason beyond 'wanton destruction' has been discovered for these outbursts. The Mark II's strongest attack is a slow-charging energy shockwave that knocks players back great distances, and deals a lot of damage even on Normal. The slow charge-up gives players a brief window of opportunity to get as far away as possible to reduce the damage they take. The Mark II can also stomp on the player if it gets the chance to, and will deal damage to any vehicles and turrets it steps on in this manner. The Hector MkII is completely invincible to all weaponry unless they are aimed at the "weak" spot on the chest; auto-seeking projectiles will lock onto this spot, as will manual-lock launchers. The Mark II explodes in a blinding flash when it is defeated, and can badly hurt anyone caught in the blast radius. Mark IIs will stagger and raise their arms to protect their "weak" spot when their health sinks below a certain point. The weak spot also becomes darker as the Mark II takes damage, much like the 'health indicator' spots on Carriers and the Daddy Long Legs. Earth Defense Force 2025 Hectors return to their 2017 appearance in 2025. Two variants are currently known: one carrying dual plasma chainguns and another, known specifically as a Bombardment Hector, wielding dual plasma cannons. They attack in the same manner as those found in 2017 yet appear in larger numbers and for flinching less often. They are now known to occasionally go flying off when killed due to ragdoll physics. Later in the invasion, the Ravagers upgrade some of their Hectors into Blue Hectors, powered by a weak forcefield to protect slightly against damage and equipped with far better weaponry and, on occasion, a shield arm that protect them from all damage from the front, except to their other weapon arm—they will still take regular damage from the sides and the back, however. Category:Earth Defense Force Category:Aliens Category:Enemies Category:Robots Category:Weapons